English
DeutschA new, intense, adventurous, and refined itinerary will bring us to the heart of the African continent. We will discover lost villages, clay bas-relief, high waterfalls within the steep savannah of Fouta Djalon, and the largest mountain massif in West Africa. We will drive down forgotten tracks and cross the longest liana bridges in the forest that hide the mystery of the birdmen and the longest liana bridges in Africa.
Masks and tam-tam echoes across the sacred woods while we will discover a villa revealing a forgotten part of “History” and ancestors reincarnated in chimpanzees. In Monrovia, we will admire a rough coastline. Monrovia is the capital of Liberia: the “Land of freemen”, the only country that has never been either a colony or a protectorate.
The freed slaves coming from the Americas developed the powerful Krio culture. Between Liberia and Sierra Leone, we will discover the Krio culture’s places where the power lies, the metaphysical symbols of the unique architecture of wood and stone.
The trip ends with a visit to the intriguing Freetown peninsula and with some relaxation on Banana Island, the most spectacular island of the Gulf of Guinea; with isolated beaches, sun, and beaches surrounded by lush vegetation.
Price:
US$4,254.- in group of 6 or more guests
US$5,285.- in group of 3 to 5 persons
US$6,315.- in group of 2 persons
Single supplement:US$706.-
Tour start dates: Feb 3, 2023 (3 persons already confirmed); March 10, Nov 3, Dec 26, 2023
Price per person, sharing occupancy.
Price includes: comfortable 4×4 with air-conditioning. Sailing at Banana Island will depend on weather condition. Accommodation in cities are international standard hotels; in the countryside best available. Most rooms have airconditioning. Accommodation at Banana Island is fixed tented camp. Lunches are either picnic or at restaurants, dinners at hotels from tourist menu. Airport transfers. Tours and activities as per the package, All meals as listed as B=breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner; One bottle of mineral water each guest each day in the vehicle. Entrance fees to parks, concessions, protected areas and cultural sites.
Price excludes: International flight to Conakry and from Freetown Int. Airport, Visas, Liberia and Sierra Leone mandatory prior arrival. Drinks or mineral water during meals and at hotels, baggage assistance, feed for photos and videos being taken, mandatory travel and evacuation insurance, Cost related to delayed baggage arrival due to airline issues.
Maximum participants 16 persons.
Note: Due to the nature of this journey, the itinerary, visits, and overnights might be modified based on the unquestionable decision of the tour leader who will do his upmost best to stick to the program. The itinerary is made to discover places where foreigners are not yet common. Understanding and flexibility are necessary for a trip “outside the known tracks”. Thanks to the right attitude we will profit from a unique experience and appreciate the beauty of the landscapes, the hospitality of the locals, and the ceremonies which will be shared with us by the local people.
DAY 1: CONAKRY
Arrival and transfer to hotel. Hotel Onomo
DAY 2: THE CAPITAL (140 Km, driving time 4 hr)
A brief visit to the capital and to the interesting small museum. After leaving the traffic jam, we will head to the first mountains of Kindia village. Hotel Mooring
DAY 3: DALABA (280 km, driving time 8 hr)
The road will bring us to the heart of the Fouta Djalon massif. Arrival at our hotel and lunch at Dalaba. In the afternoon we visit Dalaba, a small and quiet town. Of interest is the “casa a palabra” (the house of words) with fine bas-relief showing a Peul style. Here the chiefs used to get together to meet the colonial administration.
Visit the villa built by the colonial governor and later used by the first president of independent Guinea. The leader of the independence was Sekou Touré, one of the most radical activists against colonialism; he kicked out the French and joined the Soviet Union’s side aligning with Ceausescu. Under Sekou Touré, the country became more and more isolated, and the government turned into a dictatorship. Some villas used by the ministers and by the guests of Sekou Touré are reminiscences of that time. In these villas, Miriam Makeba met and married Stokley Carmichael, an exile who was among the inspirators of the armed wing of Black Panther in the US.
Overnight in a hotel built in the 20s, it witness the Neo-Sudanese architecture of that time. Hotel du Fouta
DAY 4: FOUTA DJALON ( 130 km, short drives)
Today we discover the largest massif of West Africa, the Fouta Djalon where the mountains meet the savannah and the deep valleys host rice fields and forests. Here the highest waterfalls make the landscape more beautiful and site the “water basin” of West Africa. Thanks to a fresh climate, this region has been the most beloved holiday site during colonial times. The Peul people come from this area; they are known for their stunning beauty and for being the best zebu breeders in West Africa. In the XVII century, the Fula’s (Peul) Jihad started from these mountains and they led the Peul to conquer the majority of savannah till Cameroun.
Visit the small villages, after a 1.30H walk in the forest, we will discover the Ditin waterfall which is the highest in the region (100mt). Arrival in Mamou. Hotel Baylis
DAY 5: STONE GODS ( 320 km, driving time 7 hr)
Transfer day. Once in Mamou, we leave the mountains to cross the arboreal savannah. Kissi cultural group is known for praying to stone gods called Pomo which has been mysteriously found in the forest. Kissidougou (the city of Kissi) had a small but interesting museum that shows the ritual objects of the region. Hotel Fritz
DAY 6: MARKETS (170 km, driving time 5 hr)
Due to the very poor road conditions, we will move on slowly, even while driving in 4X4s.
This region is rich in markets, the Guekedou one, on the border with Sierra Leone, has been considered one of the largest in Africa, surely it is the most crowded. Hotel Macenta
DAY 7: MYSTERIES AND MASKS IN THE FORESTS (180 km, driving time 6 hr, various drives)
The region of Ziama forest is inhabited by the Toma people. If we will be lucky, we will witness the “bird-men” coming out from the forest. When this happens, the entire village participates. While crossing the forests along forgotten tracks, we might need to cut and move trunks along the way. We will leave our 4X4 and we will take a walk guided by a local ranger. We walk along a path in an emeraldine light which will take us to the high part of the mountain.
Once we reach 1,000mt above the sea-level, we will discover the “villa Kinadou” hidden in wild and lush vegetation. This villa tells the history of a century. It has been built in colonial times by the governor of AOF (French West Africa) whose headquarters was in Dakar and used to come to these lands for short visits. Sekou Touré was a supporter of Pan-Africanism and a funder of the OUA (organization for the unity of Africa) together with Nasser and Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of the independence of Ghana. In 1966 with the degradation of the economic situation a military putsch overthrew the president of Ghana and Sekou Touré secretly hosted Nkrumah in this villa till 1972. Once the regime of Sekou Touré ended, the population of Guinea decided to get over the past, so the dramatic time has been forgotten as the villa. Hotel Macenta
DAY 8: LIANAS BRIDGES ( 150 km, driving time 5 hr, various drives)
The forest hides many secrets. The liana bridges are masterpieces of “tribal technology” and can measure 70-meter length. They are realized exclusively with vegetal materials, such as wood and lianas without the use of nails or rope, or other foreign materials in the forest. Only the initiated can build them, during the realization and the installation of the bridges neither the women nor not initiated are allowed in the forest, to guarantee the secrecy of this “magic engineering”.
In this magic world, we will attend the spectacular dance of birds’ masks.
Nzerekore is the capital of the forest region. Hotel Prince
DAY 9: PRIMATES (200 Km, driving time 7 hr, various drives)
We will go to Bossou, where a small community of chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes) lives in the forest. The inhabitants consider them the reincarnation of their ancestors and therefore hunting them is forbidden. The chimpanzees are constantly monitored by the researchers and therefore they are easy to meet.
Drive to the border with Liberia and arrival in Ganta. Alvino Hotel
DAY 10: LIBERIA, THE LAND OF FREEMEN ( 270 Km, driving time 7 hr)
Liberia is the only country that has never been either a colony or a protectorate; it has been founded by Krio, the freed slaves who came back to Africa from the US, here comes the name “Liberia: the country of freemen”. Krio is 5% of the population and they are in control of a large part of the economy and the politics, they are considered the creator of the nation and of the modern economy. 80% of the population speaks the Krio language, a sort of “Pidgin” English.
In the early afternoon, arrival in Monrovia. Our ocean-view hotel within West Point is the best starting point to visit the city. Visit the National Museum; it displays the Krio architecture, large masks, and ritual objects collection and a show about the civil war which took place from 1989 to 2003. A symbol of the city is what is left of the Ducor Palace Hotel, the extremely luxurious hotel with a swimming – pool facing the ocean. The hotel has hosted the local political elite and its parties. According to the legend, Idi Amin used to swim carrying a gun in his belt while his friend di lui Miriam Makeba was singing. After being looted several times, the hotel is now abandoned.
In 2008 the government made a deal with Ghaddafi to rebuild this hotel, however, the project, like many other Libyan development projects, never came to a conclusion thanks to the war that Europe and America waged to overthrow Ghaddafi. Cap Hotel
DAY 11: NATURE AND HISTORY
By foot, we will visit another main symbol of the town: the temple of the Masonic Lodge. The temple is the most significant symbol of the Krio culture and of its economic power. If lucky, we will be met by the Great Master who will explain to us the history of this Lodge and of its crucial role in the history of the nation. In the afternoon we attend dancing masks. Cap Hotel
DAY 12: DIAMONDS (310 km, driving time 8 hr)
Early departure.
We cross the border with Sierra Leone, a new road will take us to the regions known for the diamonds which has made this country known. We will take a track to reach a village with huts made of clay and straw. In the village, we will encounter a local who will take us to a place where we can meet the diamond seekers. The local guide will explain to us the technics of artisanal mining and “sand washing”. We go further to the lively town of Bo where, other than the market, we will visit a “diamond shop”. Hotel Dohas
DAY 13: BUNDO, FEMALE INITIATION RITE MASKS (260 km, driving time 8 hr)
In most parts of Africa, the masks are male’s prerogative, however among the Mende people and among the neighbors’ populations the masks Bundo are a female’s domain, and they have a crucial role in the initiation rites. We reach a tiny village to assist at the exit of these masks, an event that calls for the participation of a colorful crowd.
In the afternoon, we drive to the coast to reach Kent village where a boat will take us to Banana Island. The Baja Resort
DAY 14: BANANA ISLAND (30 minutes boat)
After 13 days of tracks, mountains, savannah, and forests, we will enjoy a day of relaxation at the beach on one of the most mythical islands of Sierra Leone.
DAY 15: FREETOWN (30 minutes navigation plus 50 km drives, driving time 2 hr)
Once we reach the continent, we will drive along the coast at the slopes of the rocky Freetown peninsula, the country has been named after it, the Sierra of Lions: The mountains of lions.
A short stop at the wild beaches of Bureh and of River number two, before arriving in Freetown. In 1786 the first 308 freed slaves came to Sierra Leone from the US where they fought against independent war supporting the British, after having lost the war the British sent them to Sierra Leone. A few months after their arrival, the newcomers were starving, got new and unknown diseases and they fight with the locals, who hardly stand them.
Freetown (the town of the fried peoples) has been funded in 1792 by the United Kingdom and just two years after, during the Napoleon wars against the British, it has been attacked by seven military French ships who destroyed it. Few survivors escape on the pirogues sent by the slaves’ traders. In 1807, due to the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain, the ships of the slave traders caught by the British navy started to free the slaves and sent them to Sierra Leone.
In 1808 Freetown became the capital of the first British colony in tropical Africa. At that time Krio, or ex-slaves, were around 50,000 and they made up an elite who pushed for better education from the colonial administration; the cultural level reached, had led Freetown to be known as the “Athens of West Africa”.
Nowadays, we forget about the dramatic origins, the civil war, and Ebola, Freetown is a lively town known for its parties and where the nightlife goes on till sunset. On foot, we visit the interesting museum which contains the masks and objects of the different ethnic groups; the Cotton Tree inhabited by thousands of bats near the luxurious palace of the Supreme Court; the nice cathedral of Saint George and the market in the town center. We will have dinner in the lively quarter of Lumley, you will be amazed by the numerous restaurants in this quarter facing the ocean. Swiss Hotel 4*
DAY 16: SLAVES ISLAND (2 hours navigation plus 20 km drive)
Outboard sailing to discover Bunce Island. The island lies in the large estuary of the Rokel river which creates a gulf that used to be the preferred shore point by the slave traders’ ships. On the island, we will visit the reminiscent of a large fortress, one of the main points where slaves used to be gathered before being shipped to the Americas in the years between 1668 and 1807. The history witnessed by this fort makes an impressive visit. End of sailing at Tagrin where we recover our vehicles bringing us to Lungi, rooms in day-use and transfer to Lungi international airport. Day use of hotel until 6pm if needed for late flight departure. End of Service.
